All Blacks star Ofa Tu’ungafasi has been left with gruesome wounds to his head following an accidental collision in a Super Rugby Pacific clash. The 44-cap prop was playing for the Blues in their 25-0 victory over Warren Gatland’s Chiefs in Hamilton when the freak incident occurred.
It appears the Tongan-born Tu’ungafasi landed on the studs of another player during a clean out at a ruck, causing the horrific damage. A picture posted online reveals two massive lacerations, one above his left eye and one higher up on his head, with some 17 stitches required in all.
Having started out with Auckland, Tu’ungafasi, who has ten brothers and two sisters, made his Test debut against Wales in the summer of 2016. Since then, he has established himself as a regular fixture in the New Zealand squad.
A defensive rock and a big man, he became an internet sensation during the Covid-19 lockdown when he was filmed using his car as a scrum machine in his backyard. Rugby runs in his family. His father Mofuike played for Tonga at the 1987 World Cup and his younger brother Isi joined him in the Auckland squad in 2015.
